Queen Victoria Cape Town to Southampton 2016 not calling at St Helena & Ascension!

Anyone booked Queen Victoria Capetown to Southampton thinking the ship was calling into St. Helena and Ascension Islands? Just discovered the ship is cruising past and NOT stopping.

Very disappointed as cruise headline on the Cunard webpage cruise description clearly states that they were ports of call. Only when you look closer at the itinerary did we discover ship was merely sailing by!

I'm not on this trip but the roll call for the 2016 World cruise is here.

You may get some indication of whether others feel they were misled.

Hello. We are also booked onto this cruise although did realise it was just sailing by before we booked, it is however disappointing. The Cunard website clearly states these are Ports of call so that is a bit misleading. It means we have 8 sea days in a row!

No ships ever stop at Ascension-the islandis too small and cannot handle so many tourist. Iam sorry about St helana. Queen mary 2 stopped there a few years ago - really enjoyed it- it was atender port and sadly thr Mary did a terrible job of tendering- long lines . no water - older people ready to pass out.sorry about typing - just had cataracr surgery.

the itinerary I printed out on 9/22/2014 when I booked the world cruise states cruising only for these 2 ports I am looking so forward to this cruise as it will be my first on Cunard and perhaps the first of many.

Both P&O and Cunard have a habit of doing this. Several times we have seen an itinerary which appeals, clearly showing ports of call, only for them to be a 'sail by' when we check the small print.

On the whole, both lines seem to have far fewer stops on longer voyages than other lines and the lack of ports of call and misleading sail by's have put us off anything other than TA's.

We had the first part of the QM2 world cruise drop in the inbox this morning as an offer. 60 nights in total with 43 sea days, plus several cruise by's, including Easter Island. Same for a P&O world cruise segment - 33 sea days out of 49 days.

We like Cunard, but would never consider them for any longer voyages because of the lack of places they visit.

Both P&O and Cunard have a habit of doing this. Several times we have seen an itinerary which appeals, clearly showing ports of call, only for them to be a 'sail by' when we check the small print.

 

On the whole, both lines seem to have far fewer stops on longer voyages than other lines and the lack of ports of call and misleading sail by's have put us off anything other than TA's.

 

We had the first part of the QM2 world cruise drop in the inbox this morning as an offer. 60 nights in total with 43 sea days, plus several cruise by's, including Easter Island. Same for a P&O world cruise segment - 33 sea days out of 49 days.

 

We like Cunard, but would never consider them for any longer voyages because of the lack of places they visit.

Wow, love sea days, but that sounds too extreme even for us. I wonder why they have so many (can't be just to get passengers to spend more money whilst on board can it?)

Hi - I wish I were on this trip but I'm not. I've been to Ascension Island and there is nothing to do there, unless you like sitting around in the sun. St. Helena I would love to go to and there is a bit more there, plus a few more people. Is a shame either way.

I'd rather they didn't do a sail by at all if they can't or won't land. It's just so annoying to see an island from the ship when I really want to land.

So glad I saw St. Helena years ago, tendering from QE2.

David.

Wow, love sea days, but that sounds too extreme even for us. I wonder why they have so many (can't be just to get passengers to spend more money whilst on board can it?)

Might be to avoid port fees and taxes.

I'd rather they didn't do a sail by at all if they can't or won't land. It's just so annoying to see an island from the ship when I really want to land.

 

So glad I saw St. Helena years ago, tendering from QE2.

 

David.

hmmm...if you have to sail past it on the way to somewhere else, I would rather have a close look if possible. Our sail-by of Easter Island last year was well worth while. We couldn't land, but we got a decent look from a distance of the Statues and it will probably be the closest I get to it.

There is talk that depending on weather, and other variables, we may get to land at St Helena. That would defiantly be a bonus but it has been more than clear in all the paperwork it is only a sail by.

Wow, love sea days, but that sounds too extreme even for us. I wonder why they have so many (can't be just to get passengers to spend more money whilst on board can it?)

There are always lots od sea days on a world cruise as most ports of call are next door to each other. Often five to six days a time to reach he next destination. I don't mind because on a world cruise you do see such a lot and these seas days give you time to relax. Having done few world cruises, I can tell you the past three years has seen a decline in the ports of call that ships call into in the South Pacific. Shame as it one of my favourite place to cruise.

P&O were sued after the 2013 world voyage advertised ports of call which turned out only to be just sail bys. It is very naughty and known as miss-selling. I have since noticed that Cunard are now doing the same. Shame on them for trying to con good decent customers. Sometimes early on they advertise a port as a port and change it later when they think on one knows. Buyer beware nowadays springs to mind.

hmmm...if you have to sail past it on the way to somewhere else, I would rather have a close look if possible. Our sail-by of Easter Island last year was well worth while. We couldn't land, but we got a decent look from a distance of the Statues and it will probably be the closest I get to it.

 

There is talk that depending on weather, and other variables, we may get to land at St Helena. That would defiantly be a bonus but it has been more than clear in all the paperwork it is only a sail by.

I don't mind a sail/cruise by as often the Captian will slow down and give a bit of a commentary.

What I don't like is when the cruise lines initially advertise it as a port then later change it to Cruise By once people start booking.

We have had this happen and you will see from my above post many people sued afterwards for miss-selling of the cruise. The other problem is the Captain! How good he or she is at getting close to show you the island. We had a port of call Easter Island. Later changed to a Cruise by. The Captian

( a lady on P&O) was so far off Easter Island and it was early evening and too far away to see nothing but a cliff face. Photographers on the ship superimposed photos of the Statues that they lifted off the Internet and tried to sell them on board as a port of call we have visited. !!

Unbelievable!

Plus at Pitcairn's another port of call that changed to a cruise by. We were never steered around the side of the Island to see the famous Bounty Bay. A once in a life time trip that one may never take again, and a lazy Captain who was not interested in showing us the one place the island is was famous for. I hope Cunard never stoop so low with these tactics to save time and money.

It's not just P&O and Cunard who advertise ports which can become a sail by. We booked a cruise on one of the upmarket lines which advertised a stop at Pitcairn Is indicating a visit to Adamstown. I thought it unlikely that several hundred passengers would be able to go ashore here and sure enough, eventually the company came out and said it was a cruise by.

I was also on the 2013 Arcadia WC mentioned above by Maggiemou but when we booked it was clear that Easter Is and Pitcairn were sail by only. I disagree though that it was too late to see the statues as I was able to get reasonably good pictures of them and the coast of Easter Is.

Just to put it in perspective, it is very rare for cruise ships to be able to tender ashore at Easter Is due to the narrow entrance and rocky outcrops. The slightest swell makes it a no no. In relation to Pitcairn, it's usual for the locals to sail out to the ship and come aboard to sell their wares as they did with Arcadia in 2013. I believe it's only some expedition type ships that get passengers ashore.

As someone mentioned above it pays to check the itinerary closely and do some research on the likelihood of successful landings especially if it's a bucket list port :D

Ideally, it would be nice if cruise lines were a bit more 'open' with their sales pitches.:(

Anyone booked Queen Victoria Capetown to Southampton thinking the ship was calling into St. Helena and Ascension Islands? Just discovered the ship is cruising past and NOT stopping.

Very disappointed as cruise headline on the Cunard webpage cruise description clearly states that they were ports of call. Only when you look closer at the itinerary did we discover ship was merely sailing by!

You booked an expensive cruise without closely reading up on it? The brochure and the website give out the information that it's a cruise by/transit port.

I quizzed a friend last night about this issue (a "port-of-call" becoming a "sail-by") and his own experiences on the 2015 Queen Elizabeth World Cruise (He went Southampton-Southampton).

He said that, before he booked, it was "marked in the brochure and on the website which were which, if you checked and didn't assume that the mention of a place, or indication on a map, meant an excursion ashore" once on board "no port-of-call then became a sail-by instead" (his words not mine).

Of course he can't speak for other cruises, ships, or cruise-lines, just his own world cruise earlier this year.

Should I ever do a world cruise (one day... ;) ) then I will do as he did, and check maps etc closely.

I would have thought anyone looking at a world cruise voyage would consider the itinerary very closely. I checked out QV segment last year when they were first out and I spotted right away St Helena and Ascension were cruise by only. So booked QE instead. We were caught out by P&O on Arcadia in 2013 as we booked very early and some places were shown as in port. Later they were changed to cruising by. Many other people got the same information. I still have the information they sent me. P&O tried to say it was a miss print!! See below.

Hi BRONTE, you must have been one of the few lucky people who saw any statues as we sailed by Easter Island. We were watching a video my husband made only last week, and even with his super dupper zoom lens we could not see any thing as we were over two miles away from the shore. :) Maybe we need to go to Specsavers:D

Depart afternoon

E 29/01 BEAGLE CHANNEL IN POR

CRUISING ONLY

D 30/01 PUNTA ARENAS IN POR

Arrive early morning

TENDER REQUIRED

Depart early evening

31/01 AMALIA GLACIER IN POR

CRUISING ONLY

1 PIO X GLACIER IN POR

CRUISING ONLY

02/02 CHACABUCO IN PORT

Arrive early morning

TENDER REQUIRED

Depart early evening

N 03/02 PUERTO MONTT IN PORT

Arrive early morning

POSSIBLE TENDER

Depart early evening

E 05/02 VALPARAISO IN PORT

Arrive early morning Depart evening

09/02 EASTER ISLAND CL IN PORT

E 12/02 PITCAIRN Is IN PORT

Having done few world cruises, I can tell you the past three years has seen a decline in the ports of call that ships call into in the South Pacific. Shame as it one of my favourite place to cruise.

.

Maggiemou, Could you clarify: have the ports themselves declined or is it the choice of ports that has declined? Thank you, Jimmybean

Jimmybean. I have noticed there are not as many ports of call in the South Pacific as there were say five years ago, Many ships would have stopped at Pago Pago, Fiji, Apai Boro Boro and Tahiti, Tonga on their way across to OZ. Now maybe only two/three actual stop off ports and a couple of sail bys. Giving more sea days.

Jimmybean. I have noticed there are not as many ports of call in the South Pacific as there were say five years ago, Many ships would have stopped at Pago Pago, Fiji, Apai Boro Boro and Tahiti, Tonga on their way across to OZ. Now maybe only two/three actual stop off ports and a couple of sail bys. Giving more sea days.

Thank you for your reply, Maggiemou. Now that you mention it, I have noticed this, too. I pay attention to Pacific cruises because it is such a wonderful region in which to sail…

Someday, I hope to make it all the way to Australia :)

I appreciate the clarification.

Jimmybean.

I have noticed this in Mediterranean area cruises too. It mentions the Dardanelles on the general Cunard page (the one with every cruise) but when you look at that particular cruise it shows that you sail past the Dardanelles. I have always thought it was relatively clear once you actually looked at the cruise itself.

I would have thought anyone looking at a world cruise voyage would consider the itinerary very closely. I checked out QV segment last year when they were first out and I spotted right away St Helena and Ascension were cruise by only. So booked QE instead. We were caught out by P&O on Arcadia in 2013 as we booked very early and some places were shown as in port. Later they were changed to cruising by. Many other people got the same information. I still have the information they sent me. P&O tried to say it was a miss print!! See below.

Hi BRONTE, you must have been one of the few lucky people who saw any statues as we sailed by Easter Island. We were watching a video my husband made only last week, and even with his super dupper zoom lens we could not see any thing as we were over two miles away from the shore. :) Maybe we need to go to Specsavers:D

 

 

Depart afternoon

 

 

E 29/01 BEAGLE CHANNEL IN POR

 

 

CRUISING ONLY

 

 

D 30/01 PUNTA ARENAS IN POR

 

 

Arrive early morning

 

 

TENDER REQUIRED

 

 

Depart early evening

 

 

31/01 AMALIA GLACIER IN POR

 

 

CRUISING ONLY

 

 

1 PIO X GLACIER IN POR

 

 

CRUISING ONLY

 

 

02/02 CHACABUCO IN PORT

 

 

Arrive early morning

 

 

TENDER REQUIRED

 

 

Depart early evening

 

 

N 03/02 PUERTO MONTT IN PORT

 

 

Arrive early morning

 

 

POSSIBLE TENDER

 

 

Depart early evening

 

 

E 05/02 VALPARAISO IN PORT

 

 

Arrive early morning Depart evening

 

 

09/02 EASTER ISLAND CL IN PORT

 

 

 

E 12/02 PITCAIRN Is IN PORT

Hi Maggiemou, that itinerary is indeed misleading :eek: We did book a bit later in the piece and I think from memory the documents our TA sent also stated quite clearly that Easter Is and Pitcairn weren't shore stops so that may have highlighted it for us. :D

If I knew how to upload photos to CC I would upload a couple of pics of Easter Is (in one pic there you can even see a man standing by a little red car) but I can't be bothered wrangling with technology any more than I have to.

My camera isn't an SLR or anything too flash but it does have a good zoom.

I agree that the number of ports across the Pacific seems to have reduced which is a bit of a shame. Perhaps we will just get to wave as we sail by :D

Hi Maggiemou, that itinerary is indeed misleading :eek: We did book a bit later in the piece and I think from memory the documents our TA sent also stated quite clearly that Easter Is and Pitcairn weren't shore stops so that may have highlighted it for us. :D

 

If I knew how to upload photos to CC I would upload a couple of pics of Easter Is (in one pic there you can even see a man standing by a little red car) but I can't be bothered wrangling with technology any more than I have to.

My camera isn't an SLR or anything too flash but it does have a good zoom.

 

I agree that the number of ports across the Pacific seems to have reduced which is a bit of a shame. Perhaps we will just get to wave as we sail by :D

sorry I tried to upload a couple of pics of the statues from 2014 form the QV to show how close you get but they only come up in a tiny size pic so here they are on my blog..

http://roscoesseafever.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/rapa-nui-paradise-lost.html

You can see how close Cunard got us and they were quite distinctive even without the aid of binoculars or telephoto lens.

Hi Roscoe. Love your photos of the statues on Easter Island. We never got close enough on the Arcadia to see anything like that, plus it was not a sunny evening as we cruised by. Really nice to see your photos and I always enjoy your blogs of course.

This a photo I managed to get and it is very poor quality as it was not very good weather, and also early evening. You will see how far off we were as that is taken on zoom.

I guess we were very lucky. On the 2008 QE2's (last) world cruise we tendered in to Easter Island with no problems and enjoyed a tour and a long walk outside of the town. At Pitcairn the islanders came out to us in a longboat and spent several hours selling their wares and giving a superb lecture in the theater.